Nearly half of people surveyed want public libraries to be open despite the coronavirus, a Yomiuri Shimbun poll found.
In the poll conducted between Sept. 1 and Oct. 7 by mail, 47% said "They should be opened," while 50% said, "I don't think they should be."
Regarding how libraries can service people during the pandemic, with multiple answers allowed, 50% said "limit the number of people who can enter." This is the most frequent response, followed by "lend out books reserved in advance at the counter" at 40%.
Meanwhile, 45% had read a book in the past month, down from 47% last year. The figure is the lowest since the same question was asked in 1995, although a simple comparison cannot be made as the survey methods have not been consistent.
Among the 3,000 surveyed who were 18 or over, 2,222 responded to create a 74% response rate.
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